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Mark DeMoss, former Romney adviser: ‘Break ranks’ on guns

A former adviser to Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign called Saturday for a concerted national conversation on gun control, saying the country cannot continue “doing nothing” after the elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn., that left dozens dead, including 20 children.

Mark DeMoss, the Christian conservative public relations executive, told POLITICO that placing some limits on guns wouldn’t have to conflict with constitutional liberties, as many on the right contend.

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Obama: ‘These tragedies must end’

“I’m a conservative and a Republican, and I believe in the Constitution and all of the amendments. But the reality is, there are restrictions on lots of our freedoms,” DeMoss said. “We cherish the freedom of speech, but it doesn’t give you the right to yell ‘fire’ in a crowded theater.”

DeMoss continued: “I have trouble defending a position that says there should be no restrictions on any guns or ammunition, and this slippery slope argument that if you allow the slightest bit of [gun] control, then that’s the start of taking away all our freedoms.

“Somebody’s got to break ranks on one side or the other, it seems to me, and talk in a rational and thoughtful way, which will probably come with great risk to whoever does that,” he said. “I imagine a Republican who speaks on this will probably be opposed in their next election.”

The Atlanta-based DeMoss, who heads the P.R. firm, The Demoss Group, advised Romney’s 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns and sought to build bridges between Romney — the first Mormon major-party presidential nominee — and the evangelical community.

Neither Romney nor President Barack Obama campaigned on new restrictions on gun ownership. Obama said Friday that the country must take “meaningful action” in response to the mass killing at Sandy Hook Elementary School, but did not get more specific than that.

DeMoss acknowledged that a gun-control push could come with a heavy price for its proponents, and noted that gun issues are intertwined with “complicated … issues like mental health.”

But DeMoss, noting that many on the left have been disappointed by Obama’s lack of initiative on gun control, argued: “It’s easy to put out statements saying, ‘our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.’”

“We may not know all the facts on this shooting, but we know the facts on shootings that happened two years ago and five years ago and 13 years ago. And there doesn’t seem to have been serious discussion or deliberation about it. Maybe this will be different,” he said. “Or maybe the next one will be different.”

A person with well known problems is walking around unattended. He kills his mother, who had her guns legally.

And somehow my rights need to be infringed?

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Indeed. At all times we are up against emotional IDIOTS.

In Rwanda in the 90's, Hutus and Tutsis hacked each other to death with machetes, knives, baseball bats, etc.. When the cutting finally stopped, it's estimated that over a half million were dead. Who needs guns to commit mass murder?

For every Right, there must be a co-relative Duty. We hear so much about our Second Amendment Rights, will someone detail our Second Amendment Duties?

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This really isn't about the 2nd Amendment. I have the right to keep and bear arms, and I don't care WHAT you leftists do to the 2nd Amendment. It'll cost the lives of good agents to confiscate my weapons, and I suspect that they'll want to HONOR the oath they took to the Constitution. Wouldn't you agree?

We'll soon find out that this guy was in desperate need of a rubber room, like the guy who shot Gabby Giffords. If you REALLY want to do some good, ask yourself how we can better treat the mentally ill...in a way that not only respects their rights, but protects other citizens.

Americans carry weapons of mass destruction in their pocketbooks and pockets. Cell phones are weapons of mass destruction. We must outlaw and remove all cell phones from America.

Cell phones are used as roadside bombs in the Middle East to injure, maim and kill our American soldiers. Cell phones are used as improvised bombs here in America to kill our citizens. Cell phones serve as firebombs to kill Jewish children on school buses in Israel. Over in England, public buses are bombed with cell phones and trains in Spain blown up with cell phones.

Islamic terrorists have a psychotic goal of using a cell phone to nuke Capitol Hill which will kill millions.

Cell phones are weapons of mass destruction. Americans own millions of cell phones. I have started a petition demanding Barack Obama send out Homeland Security teams to confiscate all cell phones wherever found, in pocketbooks, in pockets, in homes and businesses, anywhere and everywhere. All cell phones are to be removed from America and cell phones are to never be allowed in America again.

Not only are cell phones weapons of mass destruction, cell phones are the number one choice of criminals to enable and facilitate crime. Cell phones are used for spying, hacking, organized crime, identity theft, drug dealing, prostitution, child pornography, burglary, robbery, assault, rape, human trafficking, murder, terrorism and genocide. Cell phones are used to commit almost any crime possible.

Cell phones are directly responsible for the most horrific of crimes. Cells phones have more than tripled many crime rates. Cell phones are victimizing our children, victimizing families and destroying our nation.

All cell phones must be confiscated by our federal government and forever banned from America, politics be damned.

Cell phones enable text messaging which is the number one preventable killer of children today. Each year thousands of teenagers are killed by text messaging related car accidents, and tens of thousands of teenagers are injured by text messaging related car accidents.

Cell phones are killing our children. We must be rid of all cell phones. There is no logical argument against this.

Yes, and the Taliban and Islamic terrorists are using cell phones to maim and kill our military girls and boys.

Cell phones are a primary weapon of terrorists. Cell phones are weapons of mass destruction. We must get rid of all cell phones in America then prosecute and incarcerate any persons caught with cell phones, with an extra ten years in prison for possession of a cell phone with high capacity batteries.

The Party of War aka God's Own Party, stands for guns. Despite the fact that they are part of the Government, they encourage anyone to buy a gun, no questions asked, but of course they can't be illegal in any way and they go to extreme measures to prevent psychos from getting guns, ha,ha.

And besides, them pinko leftist hitlerites is gonna take our guns and our wimmin and our kids and make em socialists, and we aint gonna let em do that there, you betcha.

From very little in news, it appears the shooter had mental issues, possibly autistic. He had a conflict with adults apparently the day before, but tried to buy a gun on Tuesday 3-days prior. The guns he used were registered by his Mother he apparently kiiled before going to the school. He was an age that gave him no reason to go to that school.

So what is the purpuse of Discussing Gun Control laws or anything since this shooter was not qualified to possess a gun, and stole the weapons his mother kept at home?

Are you seriously thinking parents or home owners need to have periodic inspections when they are registered gun owners, and need to have a 3rd party assess whether the mentally challenged son living in the home has any capability of accessing the guns?

We would make more progress by lining up all Democrats in Washington, D.C., and shooting them to death. That includes the WH.